NATCHEZ — Despite a drought hindering area crops, Miss-Lou residents looking for fresh, local produce are still in luck thanks to the farmer’s markets on both sides of the river.

Whether you are in Vidalia or Natchez, fresh produce can be found, and Adams County Extension Service Director David Carter said the selection in the area is always top-notch.

“Certainly in today’s time, people want organic and locally grown food,” he said. “And the foods you get at the farmer’s markets are as fresh as you are going to find.”

The largest Natchez market is located on St. Catherine Street by the Alcorn State University Extension program.

Extension service marketing director Helen Brooks said the market is a producer’s market.

“We only sell what is locally grown in the Miss-Lou,” she said.

Brooks said the market is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“We are open year round,” she said. “We have to change what we sell throughout the year, but we are available to sell any items we can all year long.”

Brooks said the peak season for the farmer’s markets starts in June and ends in September, meaning anyone wanting fresh fruits or vegetables will have nearly two full months to pick up the fresh, local produce.

“Our sales have been really good so far this year,” she said. “It has been a real good season up until this point. We had a slow start with the drought and flood, but it looks like things are growing better.”

Brooks said currently there are black-eyed peas, tomatoes, butternut squash, zucchini, okra and a number of other vegetables available at the market.

In Vidalia, area farmers sell their goods in front of the Old Courthouse on Carter street from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“I got some of the best produce I have ever gotten from there,” Ferriday resident Ida Hillbrow said. “You just can’t beat fresh, local produce.”

Hillbrow said she has spent her past three Wednesdays at the market in Vidalia, and every week she finds something new.

“It is just great to try something new every week,” she said. “This is a great operation they have set up here.”

Local farmers can even back their trucks up and sell their own unprocessed fruits and vegetables at the stand.

“It is great to have another medium to make some cash,” local gardener Frank Clifften said. “It may only be a few dollars, but every little bit helps.”

Carter said the fresh taste of locally grown produce is not the only reason farmer’s markets are popular at the moment.

“You are getting a variety of crops, and you are getting them at a lower cost,” he said. “On top of that, you are also helping out your local farmers and suppliers. It’s a win-win.”

Carter said people like to know where there produce is coming from, and when they see it is from an area they are from it makes them more comfortable.

“A lot of the time people don’t know where the stuff is coming from to begin with,” he said. “So knowing it is from this state and in this county, that makes people want it more.”

Carter said people may still have to go to local grocery stores to get many of their produce items, but local farmer’s markets are still great options for fresher and cheaper produce.

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